2022 Volkswagen Golf r
The Verdict
The 2022 Volkswagen Golf r has 10 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (6 complaints) and electrical (4 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 98/100, it earns a "Smooth Ride" rating. If you're shopping for a Volkswagen Golf r, consider the 2013 model year which has 60% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2013 has 60% fewer complaints
View the 2013 Volkswagen Golf r dashboard →
Klunk Score: Smooth Ride
This vehicle year has significantly fewer complaints than average. A reliable choice.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
Recalls 4
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VW) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Golf R, Golf GTI, 2024 Atlas, and 2024 Atlas Cross Sport vehicles. The rearview camera image may be delayed or deactivated aft...
Risk
A rearview camera with a delayed or deactivated image reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the infotainment system software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 15, 2024, and July 16, 2024. Owners may contact VW customer service at 1-800-893-...
Reported Apr 11, 2026
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Golf R A8 and Golf GTI vehicles. The radiator may not have been attached correctly to the intercooler, which can resul...
Risk
A damaged coolant hose can leak, causing the engine to overheat, and increasing the risk of fire. In addition, large amounts of coolant spilling onto the roadway can increase the risk of a crash t...
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the radiator and replace any damaged parts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 18, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswage...
Reported Apr 11, 2026
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Golf R A8 and Golf GTI vehicles. The touch switch for the sunroof may be too sensitive, allowing it to be inadvertently pre...
Risk
A sunroof switch that is inadvertently pressed can result in unintended auto-closure of the sunroof, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the roof module switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 23, 2022. Owners may contact Volkswagen's customer service at 1-800-893...
Reported Apr 11, 2026
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022 Golf GTI and Golf R vehicles. Certain driving situations, such as high acceleration driving maneuvers, may loosen the engin...
Risk
A loose engine design cover may contact hot surfaces in the engine compartment and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will remove the engine design cover, free of charge. Once parts become available, Volkswagen will provide a free updated engine design cover under a separate Service Action. Owner notif...
Reported Apr 11, 2026
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Complaints
While stopped at a stoplight, the infotainment system went blank and all sorts of errors showed on dashboard display. The infotainment system continued to turn on and off approximately every 30 seconds. No audio, no backup camera and limited to no functionality via the infotainment system. According to VW Dealership, VW is currently working on a fix. No fix to date!
This vehicle constantly displays and announces erroneous “Emergency Assist Is Currently Not Available” and “Travel Assist Is Currently Not Available” warnings. These warnings distract drivers and put the safety of the driver, passengers, and the public at risk because drivers have to take photographs of these erroneous warnings while they are occurring. Drivers have to document this defect through photographs because the dealerships deny the existence of the defect or request documentation when the defect does not appear as a fault in the vehicle's electronics modules . This is a widespread problem with this vehicle model and apparently is caused by a defective steering wheel. Dealerships are uncooperative in fixing this defect.
Travel Assist is disabled which includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist. The warning lights flash on and off, sometimes multiple times a second, sounding a loud beeping each time. It is triggered at engine start and persists through all speeds. I have experienced it 0-70 mph. The flashing lights and associated rapid beeping indicating the failure is extremely distracting while driving. Warning lights and warning sounds are designed to alert the driver to a potential safety issue so ignoring the lights and sounds is dangerous in the event it is a different caution/warning.
Travel Assist is disabled which includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist. The warning lights flash on and off, sometimes multiple times a second, sounding a loud beeping each time. It is triggered at engine start and persists through all speeds. I have experienced it 0-70 mph. The flashing lights and associated rapid beeping indicating the failure is extremely distracting while driving. Warning lights and warning sounds are designed to alert the driver to a potential safety issue so ignoring the lights and sounds is dangerous in the event it is a different caution/warning. However, also not ignoring it is dangerous because of the frequency of the warnings which causes the driver to look away from the road. After speaking with the maintenance department at my VW dealership, they indicated that this is a widely known problem that is remedied only with the replacement of the steering wheel. There are several other sensors that are triggered by the same issue I was told by the maintenance department. They are uncertain at this time if it impacts the airbag system which is another potential safety concern. The steering wheel can only be ordered after inspection by the maintenance department and there is shortage and/or back order of the part to fix the problem.
The "Travel Assist is currently not available" warning and chime constantly comes on. The chime and constant alerts are extremely distracting and from looking it up online it appears other drivers are experiencing the same issue. It happens randomly and cleaning the sensors has not solved the issue.
Car’s GPS appears to loose location while navigating. Head unit display will behave erratically causing distractions along side noises. Additionally, car will display warnings on dash with additional noises again causing distraction. Eventually after losing GPS location car will snap back onto correct location on map. Self correction can happen between 30 seconds and 20+ minutes.
Travel Assist is disabled which includes Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keep Assist. The warning lights flash on and off, sometimes multiple times a second, sounding a loud beeping each time. It is triggered at engine start and persists through all speeds. I have experienced it 0-70 mph. The flashing lights and associated rapid beeping indicating the failure is extremely distracting while driving. Warning lights and warning sounds are designed to alert the driver to a potential safety issue so ignoring the lights and sounds is dangerous in the event it is a different caution/warning. However, also not ignoring it is dangerous because of the frequency of the warnings which causes the driver to look away from the road. After speaking with the maintenance department at my VW dealership, they indicated that this is a widely known problem that is remedied only with the replacement of the steering wheel. There are several other sensors that are triggered by the same issue I was told by the maintenance department. They are uncertain at this time if it impacts the airbag system which is another potential safety concern. The steering wheel can only be ordered after inspection by the maintenance department and there is shortage and/or back order of the part to fix the problem.
Water got inside of door causing damage to door, vehicle was previously repair via 57J3 service bulletin to prevent said damage but i believe repairs were made to late to prevent said issue i believe will eventually cause door to prematurely rust and create a hole in a 2022 model year vehicle Local dealerships will not repair as they state it was cause by road damage which doesn’t make sense as the damage is protruding out not in and also on the opposite side of which the paint is protruding there is another bulge No body work was ever performed on vehicle
Travel assistance failure are constant and the emergency braking system engages occasionally which can be a detriment to the occupants. The constant chiming and notifications are a distraction and the car has to be stopped and turned off in hopes of the system resetting properly. Dealerships do not know of any updates and Volkswagen has updated these issues in Europe but still to this date has not acknowledged these issues in USA
Shift knob is beginning to crack at the right rear base of the knob. Car had less that 1000 miles before noticing the crack. I checked if I was affected as I read on vwvortex forums that many other golf mk8 were reporting shift knobs falling off mid shift.